Thousands of England and Scotland World Cup tickets on resale at inflated prices

Fans aiming to secure tickets for this summer’s World Cup are encountering prices that are multiple times higher than the original cost, thanks to FIFA’s official resale platform. As of Tuesday, 6,135 tickets were available for the six group matches featuring England and Scotland. However, FIFA hasn’t yet released tickets directly for these games, though it remains unclear if all seats have been allocated.

The platform collects a 30% fee—split evenly between buyer and seller—at each transaction. While sellers set the prices, the resulting costs have sparked concern among fans. BBC Sport analyzed the market and found that some tickets are priced as high as $17,250 (£13,110), far exceeding their base value. For instance, England’s Group L opener against Croatia has a lowest resale price of $898 (£628), which is over three times the original $265 (£201) category three ticket.

Category four tickets, originally sold in limited quantities during the October ballot at $60 (£45), now demand up to $2,300 (£1,748) for the Croatia match. Meanwhile, the Scotland fixtures show similar trends. The cheapest resale ticket for their first game against Haiti costs $690 (£524), compared to the face value of $400 (£304). For the Brazil match, category three tickets are priced at $1,150 (£874), a marked increase from the $310 (£236) ballot price.

“The only benchmark we have is the Club World Cup, where cheaper tickets became available as the tournament progressed,” said Thomas Concannon, head of the Football Supporters’ Association’s England group. “Supporters are holding out, hoping prices will stabilize or decrease before the games.”

Despite the high costs, some tickets remain relatively affordable. England’s Group L match against Ghana offers the best deal for category two tickets at $805 (£612), up from the base $430 (£327). Category one tickets for this game start at $1,208 (£918), while others reach $29,900 (£22,724). Scotland’s matches also see similar price fluctuations, with category two tickets against Morocco priced at $805 (£612) and category one tickets for the Brazil game listed at $2,253 (£1,713).

With more tickets potentially available in the coming weeks, fans face a dilemma: pay steep prices now or wait for a possible drop. For now, the market remains volatile, and the demand for seats in key matches continues to drive up costs.